French cycling prodigy Paul Seixas has chosen to skip the European Championships road race in Slovenia, passing up a shot at a continental title to focus his late-season preparations on the upcoming Tour de Lombardie, as reported by outlets including Ouest-France and CNews. The decision by the 20-year-old Decathlon-CMA CGM rider follows a disappointing 15th-place finish at the UCI World Championships in Montreal, Canada.
Mozjanca Climb Shapes the Slovenian Course
Sunday’s European Championships played out over a demanding circuit featuring the Mozjanca climb, a punishing 2.1-kilometer ascent averaging 10.2 percent that was tackled five times. Ouest-France noted the terrain was tailor-made for punchy climbers. In the elite men’s race, Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel claimed the continental title ahead of Italy’s Giulio Ciccone, who won the sprint for second place, and Christian Scaroni, who finished 59 seconds back.
National Coach Outlines the Calendar Conflict
French national coach Thomas Voeckler revealed that Seixas and his coaching staff weighed the calendar before opting out of the trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia. CNews reported that Voeckler criticized the scheduling of the continental event, pointing out that championships placed just a week apart from similar one-day races force riders to choose between prestigious events and UCI points-scoring opportunities nearby.
Seixas captured a bronze medal at the European Championships last year behind Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel. This season, however, the young Frenchman chose to bypass the start list entirely to target the final Monument of the campaign.
Tour de Lombardie Field Takes Shape Without Pogacar
Attention for Seixas now turns directly to the Tour de Lombardie, scheduled for October 10. Ouest-France reported that the 20-year-old Lyonnais aims to succeed Thibaut Pinot, the last French winner of the Italian Classic back in 2018. Seixas finished a surprising seventh in Lombardy last year during his debut appearance in the race.
The path to victory in Lombardy features a wide-open field following the absence of Tadej Pogacar, who won the previous five editions of the Monument. Pogacar’s season ended prematurely due to a crash during the Vuelta a España on August 29. With the five-time champion sidelined, a competitive roster has emerged for the 239-kilometer trek between Bergamo and Como featuring more than 4,000 meters of vertical gain.
Heavyweight Contenders Line Up for the Final Monument
Evenepoel heads to the start line of the Tour de Lombardie looking to bounce back from his own frustrations at the World Championships in Montreal, according to Ouest-France. The Belgian star will face significant opposition on the Italian roads.
Other top-tier contenders confirmed for the race include new world champion Brandon McNulty and his UAE Emirates teammate Isaac Del Toro, alongside Juan Ayuso and Giulio Ciccone of Lidl-Trek. Thomas Pidcock of Q36.5 Pinarello, as well as Visma-Lease a Bike riders Matteo Jorgenson and Davide Piganzoli, round out the primary challengers aiming to deny Seixas and Evenepoel.
Tour de Lombardie Race Day Looms
The elite men’s peloton will assemble for the Tour de Lombardie on Saturday, October 10, where Paul Seixas will test his ambitions against a stacked field of climbers across the demanding Italian course.
Keep reading
